Everybody Loves Cake!

I gave the Coconut Creme Cake another go today and had much better success.  I posted pictures this time, and you can see for yourself.  It turned out beautifully.  The corrections I made were finding a better creme, which was in the wine and mixed drink aisle of my local supermarket.  It was thicker, so that may have been part of the problem.  The other adjustment I made was in letting the cake cool much, much longer.  I also deliberately made the frosting thicker and cooled it in the refrigerator before I attempted to frost the cake.  Tomorrow at my son-in-law's birthday party we will have that cake and the other one I made and see which is the more favored. The toasted coconut and whipped egg whites are still part of the process and from the pictures I've included here, you can see how that part looks as well! 

The second recipe that I am going to share with you is one that is just as tasty, called 'Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake'.  I have read that the name comes from the fact that there are no eggs or butter in the cake; both items that were hard to come by during war times.  Instead, oil is used.  When I came across this recipe, I admit I was skeptical.  But I was assured that it was tasty and moist.  I was more than happy with the outcome and have made it more than once.  The only change I have made is the frosting.  The original recipe calls for a glossy icing that I just cannot get to work right.  Instead I have opted for a tried and true Chocolate Buttercream.  Yes, I know, it pretty much kills the whole idea of war-time frugality.  But the taste makes up for it.  The recipe and a picture of the final products follow!  Good luck deciding which cake to go for first!

OLD FASHIONED CHOCOLATE CAKE

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
2 cups hot water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 Tablespoon instant coffee granules
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350^o F with rack in the center.  Spray two 8" round cake pans with nonstick spray.  Whisk dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl (sift everything too). (*NOTE: you can still go with shortening and flouring your pans if you prefer the old ways.)

Combine water, oil, vinegar, instant coffee and vanilla in a large measuring cup.  Add to the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined - a few lumps are okay.  Divide batter among pans (3 cups in each), then bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. (mine were done in 30 flat!)

Cool cakes for 20 minutes on a rack, then invert them onto the rack.  Leave cakes upside down to cool completely (this flattens domed cakes), then frost.

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

2 sticks softened unsalted butter

2.5 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 tbs. HOT water

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted

Beat butter until fluffy.  Slowly add sugar and beat until smooth.  Add water as needed.  Add cocoa to taste.  If needed add more water to desired consistency.  Use between layers and to frost cake.

Peanut Butter Cup Heaven

Some desserts look amazing.  Some desserts taste amazing.  This dessert looks and tastes amazing!  Do you remember the commercial from a few years ago where two people collide and mix up their peanut butter and chocolate? And the result is supposedly the best concoction ever?  Well of course it is.  Peanut butter and chocolate are the go-to comfort food of choice in my world.  Today, I am  posting a recipe that takes some of the all-time favorites: brownies, peanut butter cups, pudding, and whipped cream, and layers them into a beautiful dessert.  An amazing dessert in the summer heat, and you don't have to turn on the oven. The best part of all is that there is nothing difficult in it at all, not one step is difficult.  So invite someone over, put on the coffee and prepare to be praised!

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

Ingredients:

(oil and eggs for brownies)

1 (21.4 oz) Pkg. Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Mix

1 (5.1 oz) Pkg. Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix

3 Cups Milk

½ Cup Peanut Butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 Cup Whipping Cream

2/3 Cup sugar

2-1/2 Cups coarsely chopped peanut butter cup candies

Line a 13x9 inch pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan.  Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and bake.  Cool.  Lift foil out of pan.  Invert brownies onto cutting board; remove foil.  Cut into ¼” cubes.

Combine pudding mix and milk in large bowl; beat at low speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes until thick.  Add peanut butter and vanilla; beat smooth.  Prepare whipping cream by beating whipping cream and sugar in separate bowl until stiffening.  Gently fold ½  (1 cup) into pudding mixture.  Set aside remaining 1 cup. 

Into Trifle Bowl begin layering.  In bottom place half of brownies then half of candies.  Spoon half of pudding mixture over brownies and candies.  Layer remaining brownies and candies, then spoon rest of pudding.  On the top finish with final cup of whipped cream.  Garnish with whole peanut butter cups if desired. Refrigerate before serving.

Not Just Another Chicken Dish

One of my favorite restaurants serves a chicken dish which is not named for my son-in-law, though it is his favorite.  Bryan introduced it to us, and even though I was a little leery of goat cheese, I gave it a try.  I have to admit that I am an all-American girl, and at my ripe age am just now beginning to expand my food horizons in many ways.  I have not been restricted to meat and potatoes, and felt for years that I was adventurous, but truth be known, my excursions into ethnic food territories have always been terribly Americanized. I guess you could say I have a somewhat timid palette. 

After we tried this chicken dish, which consisted of a lemon butter sauce over grilled chicken covered with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese, I was hooked.  The combination of flavors was extraordinary.  There was sweetness, tartness, and tang.  Amazing.  We found a recipe for this dish on line and began to make it at home.  Being me, of course, I had to find new ways to adapt it and twist it. 

You can buy goat cheese in a log, which can be sliced or pinched off.  It is thick and creamy this way.  You can also buy it in crumbles, not unlike feta cheese.  If you are going to top your chicken, or other meat, you need the log style.  If you want to make a stuffed meat, the crumbles work best.  I am going to give you my recipe today for stuffed chicken breasts, because the other recipe can be found easily on line under ‘Chicken Bryan’.  This also can be used with 1” thick loin pork chops.  Be sure that they are boneless, of course.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 Tb. minced garlic

½ C. minced onion

4 Tb. butter

½ C. dry white wine

¼ C. lemon juice

2/3 C. Cold sliced butter

1-1/2 C. chopped sun dried tomatoes

¼ C. chopped fresh basil

½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. white pepper

8 oz. goat cheese crumbles

Olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Saute garlic and onion until tender.  Stir wine and lemon juice into skillet, turn heat to medium high; simmer until reduced to half.  Meanwhile, slice pockets into breasts carefully, making sure not to cut completely through.  When sauce is reduced, reduce heat to low and add butter one pat at a time, stirring continually.  Add tomatoes and basil.  Finally add salt and pepper.  Remove from heat.  Stir in goat cheese.  Stuff the chicken breasts with about 2/3 of tomato and cheese mixture, setting aside remainder to keep warm.  Brush chicken with olive oil, and coat baking dish with scant amount to keep chicken from sticking. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until chicken is done.  Use remainder of stuffing for garnish.  (This is where if you have log goat cheese, it makes for excellent toppitng)

**The other way of doing this, of course, is to not stuff, but to grill the chicken breasts while making the sauce and simply cover the grilled chicken with the wonderful concoction we have made.  Simply place the breasts, brushed with olive oil, salt and pepper, on the grill for the normal time: 6-8 minutes per side.  Place about 2 oz. of goat cheese on each breast, then spoon the tomato mixture over each and serve.**

I have found that having extra sauce is a benefit for my family, as they really like a ‘gravy’ feature.  They also really like the sauce.  So if you double the amounts to make the sauce, you may not regret it.  I usually add garlic mashed red potatoes, some steamed vegetables and garlic bread with it.  It also pairs great with any sort of pasta!  Bon Appetit!!

In Celebration of Birthday Cake

What do you remember about your very best birthday party?  Was it the cake?  Probably not.  Most likely it was an out of this world present, or the very best party your parents ever gave you.  The milestone birthdays, like your 13^th, your 16^th, 18^th, 30^th, 40^th,  (ugh) are the ones that may stand out.  The ones that stand out for my kids are the ones when I changed up the birthday cake.  When they were very young I took the standard cake decorating course so that I could make their birthday cakes special.  And I tried hard to make them nice.  25 + years ago, the cakes weren’t as outrageous as they are now, so they got trains, dinosaurs and Miss Piggy cakes.  They weren’t too bad.  My grandkids are getting some that are a bit more creative.      

                                                                      

A few years ago, someone mentioned they wanted an ice cream cake for their birthday.  The price had gone up outrageously at the favorite ice cream place where we bought them, so I priced them at the grocery store.  Wow.  Stupid expensive.  I began thinking to myself, how hard could this be?  I started disassembling the cake in my head.  Cookie crust, ice cream of choice with filling.  Whipped cream topping.  $30?  Really?  I told whichever child it was I was going to attempt this.  They were somewhat skeptical, if I remember correctly, but were willing to let me have a go at it.  I did a little research on line to see what other people had to say about it and immediately tossed the ones that involved ice cream sandwiches and twinkies.  I made a couple different versions, but the following is by far the crowd favorite and I’ve had multiple requests outside of family to make it.  The cookie crust is a peanut butter cookie recipe that I make, but you can use crushed up oreo cookies or any chocolate sandwich cookie if you prefer.  This one really is best, though, if you use the peanut butter cookies that I make.

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Cake

Start preparations at least 24 hours in advance

Equipment needed:

Springform pan, Parchment Paper, Piping bag and decorator tip

Crust:

1 Cup Peanut Butter

1 Cup Sugar

1 Egg

Combine all three ingredients and stir until blended.  Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet and press into 2” flattened cookie shape.  Bake in 350 degree oven for approx. 10 minutes.  Allow to cool completely.   Place piece of parchment paper over bottom of springform pan, then close sides. Crumble into bottom of 10” springform pan and freeze.

Cake:

I Gallon French Vanilla Ice Cream; slightly softened

1 lg. sz bag miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped and cut into quarters

2  17 oz  jars hot fudge topping

1 pint heavy whipping cream

2/3 C sugar

Dash of vanilla extract

Slightly warm one jar of hot fudge in microwave, just enough so that it is spreadable.  Put ice cream in large glass bowl and add candies.  Fold in gently until well mixed and evenly distributed.  Pour half of mixture onto cookie crust.  Spread one jar of fudge topping evenly over ice cream, then cover with remaining ice cream.  Using back of spoon, make as level as possible.  Return to freezer for 6-8 hours, or overnight.

At least 4 hours before serving, make whipped cream: 

About 5 minutes prior to making topping place large glass bowl in freezer.   Pour heavy cream, sugar and vanilla in bowl.  Starting out on low speed, then slowly increasing speed on mixer, beat cream until cream thickens and stiff peaks begin to form.  Take ice cream cake from freezer.  Place knife carefully around the perimeter of pan and gently loosen edges, then release pan.  Place cake on serving plate, removing parchment paper. Spread half of whipping cream over top of cake.  If cake is softening, return to freezer for short time. 

Place whipped cream in piping bag with star tip.  Pipe decorating edges like shells, or ropes, around edges and bottom of cake.  Use second jar of fudge to drizzle over top of cake strings of chocolate and place random peanut butter cups on top for garnish.  Place back in freezer to harden for at least 3 hours.  Check to see if it is too hard to cut before you are ready to serve; depending on your individual freezer, you may need to let it sit out for a few minutes before you cut it.  

 (On the right-hand side of the picture, you can see the slight melting of the ice cream causing the whipped cream to start to slide....I will have to repair that before delivery!)